Your Personality and Career Path

Personality & Careers

What is personality? Personality is the difference in stable traits that all humans share. Traits are dimensions of thought and behavior like being Extraverted or being Compassionate.

There are no personality types. We all share the same basic traits. The only difference is in the degree.

What has your personality to do with your career? A lot, as it turns out. Just like there are better and worse matches when dating someone there are better and worse matches when looking for jobs. Some jobs will naturally come easier to you than others. Some jobs will bore you to death. The difference is your personality, skills, interests, and values.

Let us explore some of the basics of personality and career testing before we look at tests like the Myers-Briggs, DISC, and the Big 5.

Career Aptitude Test. This article introduces the idea of professional aptitude. What is aptitude and why does it matter for finding a successful career? Aptitude can be seen as 'talent' but there is so much more to it.

My job doesn't align with my values. What if you are stuck in a job that doesn't align with your values? This can be a frustrating and miserable experience. In this article, we discuss the nature of values, personality and how they can help you find the optimal career.

Personality at the workplace

One fascinating aspect of personality is how people interact at work. If you've ever had a disagreement with a coworker, or just didn't get along with one of your colleagues, personality might explain why. While there are no neat boxes we can put people in based on their personality type - there are still real differences in degree between people.

Understanding how someone with a much higher or lower score in Conscientiousness or Neuroticism sees the world can be a superpower at work.

Personality types at the workplace. In this article, we debunk the myth of personality types and instead give you cutting-edge theories of personality science. They will help you understand your boss and your coworkers at a much deeper level.

Myers Briggs (MBTI)

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the most famous personality test in the world. Unfortunately, it doesn't work very well. It is nonetheless helpful to understand where it came from and how it is used in many career and application tests of thousands of companies.

The Myers Briggs Career Test. In this article, we introduce the MBTI and explain its history and origins. You will learn all about the 4 dimensions and the 16 personality types. Spoiler alert: Our personality differences can't be split into 16 neat buckets.

ENFP Personality Type. In this article, we take a deep dive into one specific so-called personality type of Myers-Briggs. The ENFP type, or Campaigner. This case study will teach you all you need to know about the issues with the MBTI and the idea of personality types.

Myers Briggs vs Enneagram. In this article, we compare two of the most popular personality tests out there. The MBTI vs the Enneagram. We compare the 16 MTBI types with the 9 Enneagram types and see why both tests should never be used for career choices.

DISC Personality types

The DISC personality test is another famous assessment. If you have ever heard someone say: "Oh, he is clearly a blue personality", then you have encountered the ideas of the DISC. The basic idea is that all people can be divided into 4 distinct types (yes, we are back at types).

Personality types were a popular theory 100 years ago but have since then been rejected by modern science.

DISC personality Type C. In this article, we take a closer look at the origin of the DISC personality assessment, how it was developed, and why it is still so popular. Again, be careful when making important career choices with the results of this old test.

The Big 5

Finally, we have arrived at the current gold standard in personality research. The Big 5, or Five Factor Model, or OCEAN. Yes, it has many names but they are all the same basic idea. Human personality can be broken down into 5 distinct personality traits.

Everyone has all of these traits just to a different degree. Some people are more Conscientious than others, while some are less Open to new experiences than others. To really understand human psychology and the difference between people you need to learn about the Big 5.

My Personality Career Test. This article introduces the Big 5 personality test and the 5 traits associated with it. You will learn all about the difference between people and why others behave differently from you. This is a short crash course into modern personality science.

Myers Briggs vs Big 5. In this article, we compare the MBTI vs the Big 5 model. We discuss their similarities and their major differences and rank the better test for making career choices.